Splash Free!
by Terra Saltt
Summary: Makoto is saved from thieves by a mysterious boy with impossibly blue eyes. In return, Makoto must guide him to the sea, and their party grows along the way. But there is something fishy about Haruka. Who is he running from, and why this obsession with the sea? Is crossing the badlands really worth all of this trouble? Mystery, adventure, romance, and magic. The good stuff.
1. A Stranger in the Sands

**A certain Saltty writer has returned from the grave! And now for something completely different.**

**It's my first Free! Iwatobi Swim Club fic that I've ever posted. Very excited. It's based on the ending theme song and video, but with a mysterious twist!**

**Warnings:**

**- Levels of fabulousity may vary. (MakoHaru, ReiGisa)**

**- Talk of slavery, nothing heavy.**

**- Nagisa is a little shit**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: A Stranger in the Sands

You never know what you'll run into out in the desert. It seems like a vast expanse of sand and emptiness at first glance, but there is more out there than you would think. Makoto was learning this first hand as he crossed the burning dunes heading west, on foot no less. No, he was not so stupid to take this journey by foot. He was, however, stupid enough to lose his camel in a dust storm that he really should have seen coming. At least he still had his map, a canteen, and some food, and he was close enough to Sunset City that he would get there before he succumbed to the sun.

But then what? Go home? That wouldn't be so easy. With not enough money to restock on supplies for the journey home, he might have to resort to taking a job for awhile until he could leave the city. He wasn't sure if he'd rather die out here or face the disappointment going home would bring, though. His mother and siblings worked hard on those tapestries and dresses made from the sheep his father put so much work into raising and caring for. It took forever to find the right dyes to make them as bright and colorful as cactus flowers in the spring, and now they were gone. If Makoto didn't find that damned camel soon, he was going to go back an utter failure, and his family would go hungry another season. Makoto couldn't let that happen. He couldn't bare to watch his family struggle so hard for the third ear in a row. Times had been hard thanks to the drought, which brought famine to the people of the land that depended on the summer rains that never came. Makoto was supposed to bring back enough food and water to sustain them. Instead, Makoto wasn't sure if he'd even get back before the solstice, and with nothing to show for it.

But he wasn't completely without hope. The desert wasn't empty, as mentioned before. It was teeming with life. If you stood still and watched, you might see a lizard dart from under one rock to another, or a snake dancing along the scorching sands. There were owls that nested among cactus thorns and little rodents who buried themselves until the cool of night. If these creatures could survive and even thrive here, then Makoto could figure something out, too. Maybe he could at least find a way to get home before his family thought he was dead.

He stopped to take a gulp of water from his half-empty canteen, momentarily loving the feeling of wet lips before the sun dried them moments later, and as he was screwing the cap back on, his eyes wandered over the horizon and just happened to catch a glimpse of something moving along the top of a hill. The dot was blurry from the waves of heat rolling off the landscape, but judging by the distance, it was something big, and...camel shaped.

Makoto took off after it in an instant. Running was a great way to expel energy and fluid from his body but he didn't care, if that was his camel then he would have plenty of water and food to refuel himself. He didn't think about if it was a mirage, he just kept running until he couldn't run anymore, and then he jogged. It was almost evening when his trek took him to a clutch of stone pillars that rose from the ground like jagged teeth, and he saw the back end of the camel disappear behind one of the rocks. He went back to running, ignoring his tired legs and forcing them forward, and he entered the maze. Makoto clicked his tongue and called the animal's name, but it didn't come, which was odd. It was a well trained camel, it should have come when he called.

It was quiet here. Eerily quiet. The light from the evening sun fell through the tall rocks in long streaks like the bars of a cage, and the decrease of temperature from the shade made a shiver go down Makoto's spine. He followed the fresh camel tracks in the dirt, weaving between pillars and biting his lip, until they led him to a small clearing in the midst of the stone sentinels that loomed overhead. In the middle was a camel just standing there, looking at him unimpressed through long dark lashes as the young man approached.

Judging by the elaborate saddle and gold braided reigns, that this was not Makoto's camel.

"Who are you?"

Makoto nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice right behind him, and when he whirled around, he came face-to-face with a dagger pointed between his eyes. The masked wielder of the knife had to hold it up at an angle since he was shorter than Makoto, but there wasn't a trace of a bluff in his eyes, which were so startlingly blue that Makoto almost forgot he'd been asked a question until it was repeated louder. He seemed to be about Makoto's age.

"I-I'm-" That was all he managed to get out before a sudden shout from above their heads made the two look up just in time to see three people with short swords drawn jump off the tops of the rocks and quickly repel down on makeshift harnesses. The second they landed, the ropes snapped away and four more came out from behind the pillars surrounding them, blocking any possible way to escape. Weapons pointed threateningly towards the two stunned boys in the middle of a very deadly circle. Some were wearing cloth around their heads like the blue-eyed boy, but others had their faces showing, and they were grinning. That wasn't good.

"Well, well, well," one of the men who had jumped down said as he stepped towards the two frozen captives. "Look at what we found here. What are you kids doing out in the middle of nowhere all by your lonesome? Did you lose mommy and daddy?" A few of the others chuckled.

"Uh...n-no, I was-"

"Shut up. You," he pointed at the blue-eyed boy and gestured to his hand where he clutched the dagger. "Drop it. And drop any other toys you have. You too, stretch."

Makoto guessed he was 'stretch' and quickly did as he was told. The other boy hesitated, but he dropped his dagger into the sand where its golden handle glinted in the waning light. The other knife he carried was equally as ornate, like something only a king would have, and the eyes of their captors widened at the size of the jewels encrusted into the hilt. Makoto stared too, a little surprised to see something like that all the way out here. His own knives (which weren't actually weapons and more like kitchen utensils) were embarrassing compared to those.

They could only watch as their only means of defense were taken away, and soon after, their wrists were bound with rope behind their backs. The two were forced to kneel as the bags on the camel were searched, and it was then that Makoto noticed the wooden barrel attached to the other side. Something sloshed inside as the camel shifted on its feet and one of the thieves opened the lid. He pulled the cloth down from around his mouth and nose to whistle in surprise. "Jackpot!" They crowded around and their smiles only got wider at the sight of nearly a whole barrel of water. That much water could fetch enough gold to feed an entire family for a year! Makoto looked with wide eyes to his right at the owner of the barrel but the other simply stared ahead like nothing was happening. Makoto could tell by the twitch in his eyebrow, though, that he wasn't okay with his stuff being messed with.

"What's a thing like you doing with so much water, huh? And all these sparkly toys?" the man that Makoto could only assume was the leader dangled one of the boy's daggers in front of his face teasingly and yanked the blue and yellow cloth down from around his slender face, revealing thin lips and short raven hair. "You the brat of a rich daddy? Anyone I might know?" The boy stayed silent. The man didn't like that, and his smile turned into an irritated frown. "Come now, none of that. I'll cut out that tongue of yours if you aren't using it." Makoto probably would have sang like a canary if that were him being threatened, but the other didn't budge. He didn't even blink. The man grumbled and turned to the brunette, who had nearly pissed himself in fear already. "How about you?"

"I-I'm nobody, sir, just a wandering peddler!"

"Then where are your wares? It's obvious you aren't with him."

He looked down in shame. "I...lost them, sir."

The man's lips curved up and it was a little unnerving how nice his teeth were. "That so? How sad. But don't worry, you're one of my wares now."

Makoto gulped. He didn't like the sound of that.

OOO

The thieves went through everything in the blue-eyed boy's bags, revealing all sorts of valuable things, from food you wouldn't expect to see outside of a palace to blankets with colors so rich they were almost blinding. It put Makoto's family's hard work to shame. They also took everything off the boy himself, from the gold bands on his upper arms to the blue and green stone on a string around his neck, which was the only thing on him that wasn't made of gold and jewels. Makoto wasn't wearing anything expensive or flashy so they left him well enough alone. He was too relieved to feel insulted.

When everything of value had been taken from the two prisoners, the group took the boy's food to share merrily with each other around a fire. The light flickered off the tall walls around them and the stars shone brightly above. The two captives were left tied sitting up against one of the pillars with only the feeling of itchy ropes, jagged rock, and gloom surrounding them. This whole time, the blue-eyed boy hadn't said a word as he was questioned on who he was and where he came from. They suspected he was the son of a very wealthy merchant or a prince and wanted to hold him for ransom, but without knowing where he belonged, they couldn't do it. The only thing holding them back from beating the answer out of him was how admittedly beautiful he was, how his hair shined in the light and his skin was as smooth and soft as a baby's. And those eyes didn't go unnoticed, either. It seems everyone had their turn looking into their depths as if they were portals to another world. Makoto couldn't help but stare, too. He'd never seen eyes like that before. The boy was too beautiful to hit in case they had to sell him. Bruises brought prices down, apparently. They threatened that if he didn't fess up, he would be sold to slavery and never see home again, but the stubborn boy kept his mouth shut.

They didn't care much about Makoto. There was no reason not to trust his story, especially how he carried little of interest and he whimpered and squirmed at every threat and insult. They planned to sell him into slavery, too, and when they were done messing with their captives and got settled around their warm fire to celebrate the catch, the two boys sat in the cold dark together in silence, until Makoto worked up the nerve to turn to his fellow captive with apologetic eyes.

"Sorry about all of this...you probably came into this place because you saw me following you, huh?" No answer, but the tiniest hint of a glance told Makoto he was listening. "I was just looking for my camel and I thought yours was mine. Looks like I was wrong..." The brunette sighed and slumped forward as much as his bonds would allow. "I really hope my family will be okay without me. I was supposed to sell their things in the city so we could have enough until next year's harvest. Mom and Dad are tired and can't do everything anymore, and my little brother and sister are still too young to help out much." The thought of his family waiting for his return made tears come to his eyes. It looked like they would be waiting awhile, maybe even forever. "Or...who knows, maybe they'll be fine. Maybe with one less mouth to feed, they'll have enough to live on." That was all Makoto could hope for right now. He had to focus on the positive things. "I wonder if I will ever see them again..."

"You will."

Makoto looked up when he heard the stranger's voice for the second time. The other stared back, those sapphire eyes now a bit less cold and more...friendly. Makoto hadn't been expecting an answer, or even such a look like that from a person like this. He gave the stranger a small smile, which to his surprise, was returned before he looked away again, as if he hadn't said anything at all. For some reason, Makoto felt just a tiny bit better. But not by much.

The thieves finally settled down for the night after awhile, save for one who sat up to idly carve chips off a piece of wood with his knife. He kept a watchful eye out for trouble while the others slept, which Makoto was having a hard time doing. The rock on his back was uncomfortable as all hell and the ropes were rubbing his skin raw. It was impossible to sleep sitting up when you were so uncomfortable, so how was his companion doing it? When Makoto looked to his right he saw the other's eyes were closed and his breath came slow through parted lips. He'd gone to sleep somehow, through all of this.

With nothing else to do in the quiet of night, Makoto started to wonder about this boy. Where did he come from? Why did he have such valuable things? Could he really be a prince? Why was he alone? These questions were not helping Makoto relax at all. This was going to be a sleepless night of useless wondering and he could only hope he had enough energy to face tomorrow when it came.

Suddenly, there was a sound coming from Makoto's right. It was a whisper, and it was coming from the boy that he thought had been asleep.

"_...Join me where your dreams begin_

_No voices reach our ears..."_

It wasn't just a whisper, it was a song. The melody dripped from the boy's lips that were just barely moving, eyes still closed and breath still slow, and steadily, his voice grew louder.

"_Where light slowly fades away_

_And comfort soon appears..."_

It was loud enough now that the man keeping watch could hear it, and the hand on his knife went still, listening, waiting for it to continue. He must have been feeling the same kind of overwhelming calm that Makoto did as he listened to the boy's hypnotic voice, the way his words melted and echoed over one another in a way that shouldn't have been possible, but was to mesmerizing to question. The melody rose and fell, synchronizing with Makoto's breaths (or was it the other way around?) which became longer as the syllables were stretched, and the stone wall on his back didn't feel so jagged anymore.

"_Leave behind your heavy mind_

_Join me where we're free_

_Let moonlight's lies close your eyes_

_Sink deep below with me..."_

The lyrics repeated, getting ever slower, and the longer he listened, the heavier Makoto's body became. He wouldn't have been able to lift his arms if he tried. He didn't even realize his eyes were closed as he focused on the song that drowned out the crackle of the dying fire and snores of sleeping men. It reminded him a little of the song his mother would sing to him when he was little, the same one he helped her sing to Ren and Ran when they were born, too. It was a lullaby...but for the life of him, he couldn't remember how it went. All he heard in his head was the voice flowing through him, like it was inside him, making ripples in his consciousness and summoning images of home to float through the endless void. He himself was floating, too, lost among a sea of memories too hazy to distinguish but too precious to forget.

"_Join me where your dreams begin_

_no voices reach our ears_

_where light slowly fades away_

_and comfort soon appears_

_Leave behind your heavy mind_

_Join me where we're free_

_Let moonlight's lies close your eyes_

_sink deep below with-_

"Wake up."

The song disappeared abruptly and Makoto was startled awake when something cold and wet was dumped on his head. He didn't even realize he had gone to sleep, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the blue eyed stranger standing over him with an empty canteen. Its contents dripped off Makoto's hair and soaked his shirt but he wasn't mad about that, he was just confused. Makoto felt like he'd been sleeping for awhile but when he looked up, the moon was in the same place it had been the last time he saw it. He peered past the boy to see the thieves were all sound asleep, even the one that was supposed to be keeping watch. The blue-eyed boy didn't bother to re-cork the empty canteen and dropped it in the sand without care, instead getting to his knees to pull at Makoto's ropes.

"What happened? How did you escape?!" the brunette whispered, still blinking away the strange daze he just came from.

The other didn't bother to keep his voice down even though the others were only a few paces away. "I put them to sleep," was all he said. A knife sliced through the rope around Makoto's middle like butter and he could finally move again. The other had gotten his golden weapons back, and then some. Swords obviously stolen from the thieves hung on either side of his golden belt, which he'd also gotten back, as well as the rest of the jewelry that was taken from him earlier. This guy HAD to be a prince to have so much treasure, Makoto was certain.

"That doesn't really answer my question..."

"Grab your things."

"What things?"

The boy pointed to a pile of things near the sleeping men, who weren't even stirring at all,not even snoring. _Are they dead?_ Makoto wondered with a nervous dry swallow. "Those things. Grab them."

When Makoto was free from his constraints and stood up, the blue-eyed boy went to the camel (that was also asleep) and secured his belongings, which seemed to have doubled. That is because he piled on much of their captor's bags, who lay there out cold, stripped of their supplies, without a scratch on them. The boy hadn't been lying, they really were just asleep. Then why weren't they waking up?

Now wasn't a good time for questions, though. All Makoto wanted to do was get out of there. He did as he was told and grabbed some things to stuff in a satchel, not really liking the fact that he was stealing but not liking the people he was stealing from even more, and his strange companion got the camel standing again. It grunted loudly, which made Makoto's heart leap in his chest and eyes fly back to the thieves, but the sound somehow didn't stir them.

"Come on," the other boy called, already leading the camel away through the rocks. Makoto slung his new bag over his shoulder and jogged over to catch up, sparing one last look behind him before the camp was out of sight. That was the strangest thing he'd ever experienced.

They walked out of the stone pillars and back into the vast expanse of desert, and if they were going to be out of sight before morning, they had to keep a fast pace. Makoto wasn't concerned about where he was going at the moment, whether it be towards the city or back towards home. His best bet was to follow the one that had rescued him just now and hoped he was heading somewhere safe.

"Hey, thanks for saving me!" Makoto said with a smile as he came to walk briskly alongside the other boy. "I don't know how you did it but I am very grateful!"

"You're welcome," he replied with a simple sideways glance.

"My name is Makoto," the taller introduced and offered his hand to shake. "What's yours?" The boy studied him shortly before taking it.

"Haruka."

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**The journey begins! Happy Valentine's day, btw.**

**Thank you, Tora Star, for your help with the song. :)**


	2. Deals

Chapter 2: Deals

"So how did you do it?" Makoto asked excitedly while they walked. He had to know what happened when he fell asleep! Haruka kept his eyes forward with one hand holding the reigns to his camel.

"I just did."

The brunette frowned. "Please tell me, it's going to drive me nuts! What am I supposed to say when I tell this story to my little brother and sister, huh?"

"How old are they?"

He blinked at the sudden change of subject. "Uh...they are both four. Why?"

"Where do you live?"

"We live in the valley in the west, but like I was-."

"Is it nice there?"

"...Are you trying to distract me from asking what happened?"

Haruka's eye twitched. "No." He totally was.

"Alright, look. I know we just met and everything but you saved my life so I trust you, and the fact that you brought me along means that you trust me, too, right?" Haruka merely shrugged. Well, he didn't say no..."So will you _please_ tell me how you did it?"

"No."

Makoto rolled his eyes at the stubbornness. He was worse than a grumpy Ren. "I answered _your_ questions, didn't I?"

"I don't have to answer yours," he said, "and I didn't have to untie you. The way I see it, you owe me much more than just answers."

...Okay, he had a point. "Fine. But can I at least know who it is that I owe my life to?"

"I told you, my name is Haruka."

"Haruka what?"

"Nanase."

"Great. Nice to meet you, Haruka Nanase. Where are you from?" No answer. Makoto groaned. "Alright, how about where you are going? Can you at least tell me that?"

"The sea." That answer came easily enough.

"Is that where you are from?"

"..." Talking to Haruka was like trying to decipher a code or something.

"Okay, so...how about _what_ you are?" Haruka stopped in his tracks and visibly tensed the moment Makoto asked that. He shot the other a look that was so unexpectedly hostile that Makoto stepped away a little, just in case Haruka suddenly drew one of his swords. "I-I mean, it's just that your clothes are really fancy and all and you have so much gold, I thought that you could be a merchant's son or a prince or-"

"No." Haruka suddenly relaxed again and resumed walking as if nothing had happened. Makoto was too surprised about that reaction that left as quickly as it came to walk much closer just yet.

"...Oh. So then, do you mind me asking how you got all of this stuff?"

"I stole it."

He was so nonchalant about it that Makoto thought he misheard at first. "Huh? You mean, you are a thief, too?" Haruka nodded.

"I stole it from another thief."

"Oh." That made him feel a bit better. Stealing from thieves wasn't as bad as stealing from the poor and defenseless in Makoto's book. Haruka wasn't nearly as cruel and bloodthirsty as the thieves they just escaped from. "You seem to be pretty successful at it."

"I guess so."

"So...are you all by yourself?"

"Yes."

"That's too bad. What waits for you by the sea?"

"The sea."

"Uh..." Was it just Makoto, or were half of Haruka's answers barely answers at all? "Okay, so how much longer until you reach it?"

"I don't know."

"...Then where are we going now?"

"I don't know."

A brick might as well have fallen on his head from the sky just then. "Are you telling me you're just aimlessly wandering?" Haruka's head dropped a little and he looked away. That was a yes. How could someone like this exist? "Isn't the desert a little dangerous to be walking around all alone without knowing where you are going?"

"I don't have a map."

"Would you like one?"

Haruka looked at him again, this time literally shimmering with hope. Those strikingly blue eyes of his reflected the starlight from above like little mirror pools. "You have one? Does it say how to get to the sea?"

"Well, no, but it says how to get to all of the nearby major cities. You need _something_ to help you navigate."

"And...how do I navigate?"

"...Are you serious?" Haruka's expression didn't change, which gave Makoto his answer, and he sighed as he opened the flap of his satchel. "How long have you been out here?"

"Awhile," Haruka replied vaguely as he watched Makoto pull out the rolled piece of paper. The moonlight was bright enough to read his father's handwriting scribbled onto it. That is, if his father's handwriting were legible. He opened the map and easily found their general location. "What city or village were you last in?" Haruka was silent again. This silence was a bit different, though. The boy's eyebrows were knit together like he was trying to think. "You don't know? He shook his head. Well, so much for the mysterious desert walker that Makoto thought he was. Turns out he was just some mysterious clueless guy.

"It was a city," he said.

"Okay...there are a few cities around here. What was it like?"

"Crowded. Busy."

"Yes, that would be a city." Makoto sighed again. "Anything specific? Do you remember a flag of any kind?"

"Black," Haruka said with a nod. "With red and white stripes."

"That sounds like...Samezuka?" He pointed to the star on the map that was the magnificent 'City of Liquid Gold.' Makoto hadn't ever been there, but he heard it was huge and colorful and had more water than it needed, even in this drought. He also heard it was controlled by a very young selfish king that horded all of its resources. "We are right around here, so we should head north, which is that way."

"How can you tell where north is with no sun?"

"Because the stars say so."

Haruka's eyes widened at him and he turned his face to the sky. "The stars can talk?"

How was Haruka still alive? "The north star, dummy. That one, right there. That star always points north."

Haruka scanned the thousands of twinkling dots above their heads. "How do you know which one is the north star? There are so many and they all look the same."

"Are you pulling my leg?"

Haruka looked down at Makoto's legs in confusion. "Um...no."

This was going to be a long night. "So you're telling me that you set out on this journey through the desert alone, with no map, and no sense of direction?" Haruka narrowed his eyes and looked away childishly. "How do you expect to find the sea? Do you think you will just come across it?"

He was quiet for a moment, but then he turned back to his companion with some kind of confidence. "You will take me there," he decided.

"What?" Makoto deadpanned. "Why?"

"You can navigate. Plus you owe me your life."

"Yeah, but I have to go to Sunset City for my family! I can't just drop everything and be your guide, that's-"

"You lost your wares," Haruka interrupted to point out. "You don't need to go to there anymore."

"Yes I do. If I don't have anything to sell, then..." Makoto rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'll have to get a job and send money home that way. I have to do something or my family will starve..."

Without hesitation, Haruka motioned to the camel. "If you lead me to the sea, I will give you all of this." Makoto's jaw fell open.

"...You're joking."

"I don't joke." He raised the reigns in his hand. "You can have the camel and everything on it, as well as anything of value that I am wearing. The water, the food, the clothes, the gold. That should be enough to make up for what you lost and more."

Makoto was speechless. He looked at the camel and at Haru, and he was pretty sure this had to be some kind of trick. But it was true what he said, all these things were more than enough to make up for what Makoto's camel disappeared with. If he had a haul like that, his family would eat well throughout the rest of the drought! It was too tempting to dismiss.

"...Are you sure? Can you really just give all of this away?"

"I won't need it," was all he said. He refused to elaborate, so that left Makoto with a choice: Either trust this mysterious blue-eyed idiot who saved his life no more than an hour ago, or go to the city alone and empty-handed to beg on the streets. With as few options as he had, who could refuse?

"Alright," he said with a deciding nod. "In return for your wares and for saving my life, I will take you to the sea. It's a deal."

Makoto smiled warmly as they shook on it and in the light of the moon, he could see Haru smiling back. It was a small smile, but most of it was in his eyes. They gleamed as they looked up at him, and in the pale light that made his smooth skin almost glow, Makoto couldn't deny how beautiful he was. How could a boy be this beautiful?

OOO

They still had to go to Sunset City, despite Haru's reluctance. It took a day's worth of traveling to get there, thanks to taking turns riding the camel that eliminated stopping for breaks. Haruka ended up riding more than walking, claiming that his feet hurt every hour or two. He also complained of the heat with irritated huffs and pulled his dark blue shirt off in an attempt to cool down, ignoring Makoto's warnings that his exposed torso would get sunburned that way. Man, this guy was sort of hopeless. Makoto held onto the idea that he might still be a noble of some kind, judging by how delicate he was. Only a life of luxury would result in something like this...though judging by surprising amount of muscle definition Haru's arms and abdomen sported, he must have been physical in _some_ way.

One thing that was strange was that Haru refused to drink any water from a canteen, only from the large basket attached to the camel's side. Makoto caught Haru staring at it more often than not, too, as if he longed to crawl inside of it or something. The strange fixation had Makoto curious, but as far as he could tell, the water in the basket was just that: water. Haruka sure was weird.

But aside from his eccentricities, he was good company. Makoto was happy to have someone to talk to other than a camel while they traveled, and while talking did dry his mouth faster, it made the journey feel shorter. And happier. He told Haruka some stories about his family and his home, some old legends of desert beasts with tails as long as the dunes and a mythical spirit that took the shape of a cactus in the day time. Haruka didn't say much, but Makoto could tell he was listening. He was a good listener.

Sunset City rose from the sandy ground like a monument in the wilderness. He'd been to the city once before with his father when he was much younger, and it looked different back then than it did now. The palm trees sprouting from the cracked dried mud where a sparkling oasis once welcomed visitors were droopy and brown. They passed the tired trunks on the road that led to the open gates and tall buildings made of sandstone could be seen peeking over the walls. They used to be painted with beautiful colors, but several years of being sand blasted by dust storms made the paint dull and flake off, and it looked like nobody bothered to redo it. The high flying flags retained their color on top of the tallest buildings, though. White with two red and orange vertical stripes, fluttering like birds above the city. Despite the recent worn-down look, Makoto remembered this place from his youth, and he smiled as he walked through the gates.

Haruka didn't look as happy to finally be here, though. He put his shirt back on and covered an uneasy frown with his scarf before they entered. All that could be seen of him were his eyes.

"We will only stay here one night," Makoto promised. "The sea is a long ways away, so we'll need lots of food and supplies, and I will also need to find a proper map." Haruka simply nodded to show that he'd heard from on top of the camel. He looked quite royal like that, Makoto noticed, which probably made Makoto look like his servant. Others around them were taking notice as well.

It didn't take long to find the market place. Stalls lined the streets filled with all sorts of things and peddlers called for their attention as they passed. The place was cast in a welcome shade from the blankets hanging over their heads, creating a patchwork of colors that went all the way to the end of the street. It felt kind of cramped compared to the openness of the desert that they just came from, but they managed to get the camel through. There wasn't enough daylight left to explore, so they kept their goal short. They had to find the stalls with the food and other essentials they would need for their journey.

There seemed to be two ways to pay for things around here: gold and water. The life sustaining liquid was so in demand that just a pouch of the stuff could get you three loaves of bread! They would need their water, though, so they paid in gold where they could, which they had a lot of thanks to Haru's stash. He swiped a whole chest of coins from the thieves the other night. Good thing, too, because prices were super inflated right now. Haru left all the buying to Makoto, who did his best to save as much money as he could, seeing how whatever was left over from their adventure would be going to him and his family. It was kind of hard to haggle, though. Not only was he inexperienced in the art, but these people really looked like they needed all the money they could get. Mothers in rags with children at their feet, men with tired bodies and dusty faces... The drought really changed this place. He and Haru stuck out like a sore thumb.

By the time the sun was setting and many of the stalls and shops were closing up for the night, they at least bought a decent amount of supplies. Some food, some camel chow, and even a tent. It was small, but they would only be needing it during dust storms. Finding a map was the hard part, though. There weren't a lot of map makers and sellers around, and of the ones they did find, none of them had a map to the sea. He did find out one thing, though: The sea was somewhere to the south.

"If we know it's to the south then why do we need a map? We should just head south until we find it," Haruka insisted, obviously tired of running around the market looking for a needle in a haystack. Though it was Makoto doing the walking and talking since the other refused to come down from his camel in the busy streets. He must have had some kind of claustrophobia or something.

"Because I'm not about to head into nowhere without an inkling of any other settlements or cities that are along the way," Makoto explained to his friend tiredly. "Only people with a death wish do that." He shot Haruka a pointed look and the other simply huffed from behind his scarf and looked away. It was like dealing with a spoiled child.

"A map to the south, you say?" a voice said enticingly from behind a table that was half packed down for the day. The man speaking had a short but thick grayed beard and wore some rather odd clothing, probably to make himself stand out among the other peddlers. There was a young boy with him helping to pack up his wares, most likely his son. "I might have what you're looking for."

Haruka quirked an eyebrow at him and Makoto put on a smile. "Oh? Do you have any maps to the sea?"

The man stroked his beard. "As a matter of fact, I just might. Hikaru!" he called and turned around to the boy, who stopped what he was doing to give his father his attention. "Go fetch the box of scrolls from the cart, boy." The boy nodded and went around to the other side where their cart and a tired mule was standing, and in less than a minute he was back with said wooden box. It was filled with rolled up paper of many sizes and colors, some looking new while others appeared very old. Makoto and Haruka watched as he pulled out a few, and after checking them, he came to the oldest looking scroll in the box. He smiled as he pulled back the top, signaling that he'd found the right one, and opened it for the other two to see. "Here we are. This map has been in many hands and has traveled many places, and it will do you two just fine."

Makoto leaned in to study it as the man held it up. The paper was a bit fragile and yellowed, but the jagged outline of the coast clearly showed the sea to the south. There weren't many dots signifying settlements between it and Sunset City. Actually, there weren't that many dots on it at all. It was like an entire chunk of the desert was completely bare. Makoto was sure there were more villages and towns than this... maybe it was only showing the most populated ones. Or maybe it was so old that this was all there was when it was made. But it was technically what they were looking for, and it was the only one they managed to come across...

"We'll take it," Haruka said from above. Makoto could have thrown a rock at his naive raven head for that.

"Hahaha! What he means is, we might be interested." The man rolled up the scroll and placed it on the table in front of them. "What are you asking for it?"

"Well, see," the man rubbed his chin and eyed them both, mostly Haruka and his camel's bulging saddle bags. "This here map has been in my family for three generations. My great grandfather drew it, in fact, before he settled down here with my great grandmother." Makoto knew where this was going. The merchant was going to name a high price and Makoto would have to haggle it down. "I don't think I could let it go easily."

"If it is so sentimental then why are you selling it?" Haru asked.

"Because times are rather tough for us common folk, as you see. Family heirlooms mean nothing if you don't have a family to pass them on to." The man looked to his son, who recognized his cue and put down a box to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Makoto couldn't help but sympathize. His family was in the same situation. "How much gold are you looking for?"

"Oh, I don't want gold. The price of gold has been going down far too fast for my liking, the stuff is almost worthless."

"Then you are looking to trade? We have a few swords, some beautiful fabrics and clothes, or maybe-"

"Water." The man got right to the point. "My preferred method of payment is water. I see you have quite a bit of it, there." He pointed to the basket on the camel's side and Haru seemed to grow tense. "Surely you could part with a small part of it?"

"No." Haru's answer was very fast and Makoto was surprised. He usually didn't have a say in any of Makoto's haggling until now.

The man scratched his chin and kept the friendly smile on his face. "Don't be so hasty, I'm not after much. Just enough for my family to drink properly tonight. You see, I have three other children at home with the pregnant wife, and her old sick mother has been staying with us-"

"No." The blue-eyed boy did not care for this man's sob story. It was his water, so he had the right to say how it was spent, unfortunately. Makoto tried again to strike up another trade.

"Is there anything else you are interested in? A new dress for your wife, perhaps?"

"I would rather give her water than a dress to be buried in when she thirsts to death." That was going a little far, Makoto thought. "If you would reconsider, then we could both have what we need."

"No." Haru was starting to get on Makoto's nerves and he felt his eye twitch.

"Will you excuse us a minute?" He went to the other side of the camel to have a quick word with his charge. "Haru, you are driving me nuts. We need that map or we can't find the sea, remember?"

"I know," the other replied. "But I don't want to trade the water."

"Why not?"

He looked away sheepishly. "...It is mine."

"Yes, but we need that map to be ours, and giving him a bit of your water is the only way to get it. There should be more than enough for the journey, don't you think?" Haru shook his head. This guy was impossible. Makoto sighed and took his hat off to run a hand through his hair that was a bit damp with sweat from the constant desert heat and walking. "Well then, I guess we won't be getting the map. And if we don't get the map, then we'll never get to the sea." He saw Haru's eyes widen a little at that. He could see the wheels turning in his head, mulling over what Makoto said and the other gave him all the time he needed to think. It wasn't that' hard of a choice, really. Haruka was just stubborn.

"...Fine," he finally said and crossed his arms. "Give him my water. But just a little."

Makoto smiled in relief that Haruka could actually be reasoned with. He went back to the peddler, who waited patiently with the map still in front of him. "We will trade for water."

"Excellent!" The man clapped gleefully and the boy brought over a white jug. "Would this be alright?"

Haru's nose wrinkled but he said nothing. It was quite a lot of water to trade for a piece of paper, but it wasn't like it would make much of a dent in their supply anyway, so he allowed it. The lid was taken off the basket and the man submerged the jug to fill it. When the bubbles stopped, he pulled it out and was about to cork it when something stopped him. He gave the water a suspicious look and sniffed it.

"Hold on a second..." He lifted the jug to his lips, and the second the liquid hit his tongue, he turned his head to spit it out in disgust. "Ugh, just what are you trying to pull?!"

"Huh?" Makoto blinked in surprise. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"You know very well what's wrong, you crook! Try to swindle me, will ya? That there is dirty salt water!"

Makoto shook his head and put his hands up in defense. "No it's not! It's..." Wait, hold on. He did smell something a little fishy coming from the open basket. Makoto dipped his hand in and tasted what collected in his palm, and he too turned his head to spit it out. "I-it is!" His head spun towards Haruka, who looked on like he was amused. "Haru, why didn't you say this was salt water? Why do you even _have_ this much salt water? Have you really been _drinking_ this stuff?!" The boy offered only a shrug.

The peddler turned the jug over so its contents would pour onto the dusty street, and it caught the attention of nearly everyone in the area. "This place doesn't need the likes of you, trying to con hard working folks! I should report you to the authorities!"

Makoto quickly shook his head. "No no no, no need for that! It was an honest mistake, I am very sorry!" People were starting to gather as it turned into a scene.

"_Sure_ you are. You're kind aren't welcome here!" His hand rested on his hip, which was dangerously close to a knife strapped to his belt, and Makoto looked around to see several onlookers doing the same and shouting their own insults and threats. The community did not take kindly to any kind of theft, it seems. It wouldn't take much to turn this desperate crowd into a mob, and Makoto was quick to avoid a fight. Sure, he and Haruka had swords, but they'd rather not have to use them.

"We'll leave!" he assured and quickly grabbed the reigns to the camel. "Again, I apologize-"

"Just scram!"

"Don't let us catch you pulling that again!"

They left as quickly as possible, even breaking into a run until they turned the corner. That could have been very bad! The last thing Makoto needed was jail time!

When they were away from the tents of the market, Makoto parked the camel to the side of the road in view of a statue in the middle of an open town square. It looked like it was on top of a fountain, though no water flowed from it now. There were some beggars who sat around it, some with blankets trying to sell whatever they had to make any kind of money. There were a lot of people like that around here. Makoto's family weren't the only ones who were suffering. That guy shouldn't have dumped the water onto the ground like that, even if it _was_ salt water! Makoto was sure it could have been put to some kind of use.

Speaking of which...

"What the fuck_,_ Haru?!" Makoto rarely ever got mad enough to swear out loud. "What happened back there? Why do you have a whole basket of _salt_ _water?!" _Haru didn't answer. He just shrugged again, which didn't alleviate any of Makoto's anger. "You could have at least warned me, you know! You could have gotten us jailed or even killed! Don't you know how things work around here? We're in the middle of a drought, Haru! People get a little crazy during droughts. That could have gone much worse if I hadn't of gotten us out of there when I did." He sighed and leaned on the brick wall, taking his hat off to let his head cool in the shade. The sun was going down, taking the heat of the desert air with it, and soon it would be night. They would need to find somewhere to stay soon...that is, if Makoto was going to stay with Haruka after that. Oh, who was he kidding? He had nowhere else to go. There was little chance of getting a job in this place so holding out for Haru's loot was the only chance he had to not only provide for his family, but ensure his own survival back to them. "Where do you even get that much salt water, huh?"

"I stole it."

Then a better question would be: who in their right minds would carry around that much salt water during a drought? Salt and water were both very valuable right now, but once you put them together they were practically worthless. He looked up at Haru, who was staring ahead blankly, and let the back of his head rest on the wall. This was quite the pickle. Makoto didn't have anywhere else to go and no idea what he got himself into.

* * *

**_"He's so hot, but so crazy! And that makes him even MORE hot!" (_If you watch Free! but haven't seen it's abridged series 50% Off! on YouTube, then you are committing some kind of crime.)**

**Sorry it took so long, college is kicking my ass right now. Thanks for all the kind reviews, they always help motivate me. :)**


	3. Unlikely Friends

Chapter 3: Unlikely Friends

At least the scene they caused in the market wasn't anywhere near the town well. With the discovery that the large basket that was supposed to be their water supply for the trip and back was filled with salt water, it became apparent that they would need more, at least for Makoto. Haru seemed perfectly fine with drinking that nasty stuff (in fact he refused to drink anything else) but Makoto was sure it would end up making him sick. That much salt was probably not a good thing and would only make him thirstier. The random assortment of jugs and canteens they pilfered from the theives would all need to be filled to the brims in order for Makoto to feel safe about going back out into the desert.

That meant spending more of the gold he was trying to win for his family, unfortunately. But it was necessary, he told himself, as they prepared to get in line for what was apparently the only public water source in the city. With so many people using it, Makoto could only wonder how much there was to go around and how long it would last. He hoped the line would move quickly so that he and Haru could find somewhere to stay the night. The exhaustion from traveling all night and all day was starting to set in and Makoto's feet desperately begged for a rest. He'd ask Haru for a turn to ride the camel but every time he did, the shorter would give him a look like he was just asked to eat his own hand. He had some real powerful crowd anxiety.

"Pssst!"

Makoto lifted his head and looked around, but he didn't see anyone who could have been trying to get his attention. It was probably meant for someone else, so Makoto put his eyes back on the well, as if staring at the old woman filling her container would make her go faster.

"Pssssst! Hey, mister!"

Makoto glanced at Haru, who was looking at the ground on the other side of the camel that he still refused to get down from. Makoto peeked around the animal's neck to see a...a girl? No, it was a boy. A boy wearing a green veil and beads over his short blond head and clothes like a female belly dancer, but with an open red vest that clearly showed a very male torso. He was shorter than even Haru, though he looked to be about the same age, and he looked up at the raven with big pink eyes and an empty gray jug in his hands.

"Would you do me a favor?"

"We aren't interested in anything you are selling," Makoto spoke up tiredly as he ducked under the camel's chin to the other side, surprising the other with his entrance. They'd been approached by all sorts of people today, all of them either trying to sell them something useless or distract them while others tried to pick-pocket their saddle bags. It was rather dangerous to stand out so much, Makoto was learning. This boy didn't seem like the pick pocketing type, though...he had jewelry in his hair and golden bands on his arms, much like Haruka. Definitely not a street rat.

"I wasn't talking to you," the boy cut him off. "I was talking to your master." He pointed to Haru, and Makoto sputtered.

"Wha...he is _not_ my-"

"I just need one little favor, please? I promise it won't cost you anything, just a little of your time!"

"What is it?" Haruka asked. The boy's eyes became hopeful now that he wasn't being instantly turned away. Makoto begrudgingly kept a look out for any one looking to take advantage of the distraction, but saw nothing suspicious.

"I need water," the boy explained and held up his empty container. "I've been trying to get it from those bozos all day but they keep sending me away!" He pointed to the men behind the armed guards who were taking the money of customers and allowing them to fill their containers. "If you would pretty please get some for me, I would be very grateful! I'll pay you back, I swear!" He held up a pouch and jangled it to show there was money inside, and quite a bit at that.

"Why won't they let you buy water if you have the gold to do it?" Makoto asked. There was something fishy about this.

"Because," the boy explained with a frown, "They don't want my money. They say I don't earn my keep, that I'm not worth selling water to. The nerve! I work just as hard as anyone else!" He stamped his foot on the dusty ground and crossed his arms. "We all have to make a living somehow, don't we?"

Haruka raised an eyebrow, confused. Makoto wasn't sure what to make of this, either, but given the boy's odd attire, he was starting to get an idea. "What do you do?"

Nagisa raised an eyebrow at them, too, like he wasn't sure why they couldn't figure it out. "I'm an errand boy. Duh." Oh. Makoto realized what he meant by that after a moment, but was mostly surprised at how forward the guy was about it. Haruka, on the other hand, stayed looking confused.

"Why would they deny you water for that?" he asked.

"I know, right?" the blond threw his hands up in exasperation. "Finally, someone who understands! I would gladly leave this place, but I can't unless I get some water to trade for my spot in a caravan that's leaving tomorrow morning, but what they are asking for is more than anyone can get from the well at one time. I already got one half of it, but I need the other half and they won't let me go twice in one day. It's hard enough for me to even go once! So will you help me, mister? Please please please?"

"Sure," Haruka agreed before Makoto even had the chance to say anything. The blond lit up like the sun and smiled so wide that his face might break.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" he bounced on his feet, looking like he wanted to hug Haruka but couldn't since he was so high up. So instead, he hugged Makoto. "You are the only people who have been nice to me all day! I really appreciate this, I am in your debt!" Makoto managed not to suffocate before he was let go, his ribs sore from what he was sure was the equivalent of a boa constrictor's grip, and the blond boy couldn't stop smiling. "I asked you because you are rich and would be able to buy the water without me having to give you my money first. I tried that once before and the damned brat ran off with it! So I hope you don't mind if I wait to pay you when you come back with the water, okay? Thank you again, you are my hero!"

That would make two people Haru had in his debt now. He seemed to have a habit of that. Maybe that was how someone so hopeless managed to stay alive out here.

The boy told them his name was Nagisa and that he would wait in the ally just around the corner for their return. Makoto didn't mind helping him, he seemed like a nice enough person, but he couldn't stop being suspicious of everyone they met. It might have been unfair, but his father had warned him about the city and how some people wouldn't think twice about taking advantage of you, and with things how they were thanks to the drought, it was harder to tell the difference between honesty and a ruse. Nagisa left them with his jug and while they waited for their turn in line, Haruka turned to Makoto to ask a question that had been on his mind since the encounter.

"Why won't they let Nagisa buy water just because he's an errand boy?" Either the fact that Nagisa was an errand boy didn't bug him at all or he was clueless.

"You know what an errand boy is, don't you?"

"A boy who runs errands?" Yup, he was clueless.

"No, uh...I mean, yes, but it can also mean that he's a male prostitute." He figured that would clear it up pretty fast, but Haruka was still confused. In fact, he looked even more confused.

"What does that mean?"

Was he serious?! Makoto was now red-faced with having to break it down even further, and he dropped his voice to the bare minimum. "A prostitute is someone who...you know, sells their bodies." Haruka continued to stare at him, and Makoto groaned. "_For sex,_" he whispered past his cupped hand. Haruka finally got it and his eyes widened a tad, and Makoto was just happy he didn't have to go as far as to explain the birds and the bees to him.

"Why would someone need to buy sex?"

Makoto was raised by a good family in a small village, so he was pretty innocent to these kinds of things, but even he was not this sheltered. He turned pink and hushed his charge. "Because unlike you, some people aren't handsome or rich and can get any girl they want." He left it at that. Or, at least, he tried to, but Haruka persisted to ask awkward questions.

"I'm handsome?"

"Wha...of course! I mean..." Makoto realized what he'd said and looked away sheepishly. He wasn't sure why he was so embarrassed about calling him handsome, because it was true. Anyone could see that. "I bet you can't keep the girls away, huh?"

"No," Haruka answered easily. "It's the men I seem to have trouble with." What the hell did that mean?

He didn't get the chance to ask, though, because it was their turn in line. The restriction on how much water someone could buy at one time was stricter than they anticipated, but at least there was two of them and that allowed the duo to take more. They wouldn't be able to fill all the way up if they were also going to buy Nagisa's water, too, but Haruka insisted on getting it anyway. They'd made a promise and it was only right to keep it. That was something Makoto found he respected about his strange new friend. He was true to his word and expected others to do the same. No doubt that could get him in trouble around here, though, so Makoto made a mental note to watch him like a hawk for the remainder of their visit.

When they met back up with Nagisa, the blond looked to be on the verge of tears as he was handed his jug, now heavy with water, and he hugged it to his chest. "Thank you so much! I don't know how to thank you properly for this, you two are very kind!" He dug into the pocket of his purple and blue striped bottoms and pulled out the little bag of gold he'd shown them earlier. "I hope this covers it, they tend raise the price all the time. Even if it's enough, though, I want to repay you for the favor!"

"Uh, no, that's fine," Makoto said quickly, fearing that he might offer some kind of sexual favor. It probably wasn't fair to expect that from him just because of his job, but people in the city could be almost as predictable as they were unpredictable.

"I insist! You did something nice for me so I want to do something nice for you. Do you have a place to stay tonight? I can take you to a great place!"

That was an offer Makoto was interested in. "Do you know of an inn nearby?"

Nagisa smiled. "Yeah, mine! I can even have you stay for a discount. It's the nicest inn in Sunset City."

"You own an inn?"

"No, but I work there."

"I thought you said you were a..."

Nagisa rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, well...it's sort of a brothel, too...but not all of it!" Nagisa assured quickly when he saw the look on Makoto's face. "Actually that's why it's still running at all. The other inns that didn't offer double services sort of...dried up. Tourism hasn't been very reliable lately. There's only two other inns left and I don't suggest them. I've heard stories of travelers waking up with their things stolen all the time and they are in bad neighborhoods." And a brothel wasn't? "My inn is at least kept clean and secured for all guests, not just the ones there for sex!" Makoto didn't like the mention of that word so loud, especially in such a context. He wasn't raised to treat the topic so casual.

The sun had gone down leaving darkened and nearly deserted streets. Nagisa's bracelets and blue hair beads glittered in the torchlight when he stepped out of the ally and waved for them to follow. Makoto had his doubts, but...it didn't sound like they had much choice but to follow. Haru was practically falling asleep on his camel and the promise of security in this crazy place was too hard to pass up.

Their guide chattered the whole way there. Apparently he'd originally been from Sunrise City, Sunset's sister-city in the east. The caravan Nagisa was hoping to join would take him to a new city, hopefully with better business and more water, and Makoto asked if that was also why he left Sunrise. The boy's smile faltered for a moment. He looked away and confirmed what Makoto guessed, but added that there was another reason he left, too. That was one of the only things he didn't automatically go into detail about, instead going right back into his plans of leaving with the caravan in the morning. It must have been personal.

Business was poor in the area and he hoped to hop from town to town in hopes of making a better living. Preferably something that wasn't prostitution, if he could help it. Though he spoke of it casually, he didn't deny that it was hard to look at himself in the mirror sometimes, and he was sick of the treatment he received for it. Not only female prostitutes were treated like dirt. Makoto asked why he didn't just stop doing it and Nagisa gave him a sad smile.

"Because I can't do anything else." Makoto doubted that, but then again, there were a lot of jobless and homeless people around the city. The lack of water really effected the economy and there were no other jobs to be had. There was no guarantee that it would be any better in another town, but Nagisa had nothing to lose in taking the risk.

Traveling across the desert wasn't easy, especially with bands of thieves and raiders scouring the sands for easy prey, and Makoto knew firsthand what that was like. There was a chance that his and Haru's trip to the sea could go terribly wrong and he would never make it back home...but he had to try. It was for his family. Who knows? Maybe Makoto would find a better place to live along the way and mark it on his map so his family could move there. That would be worth a trip across the desert with a crazy blue-eyed thief boy.

Nagisa asked them what brought them to Sunset and where they came from, and Makoto answered as honestly as he could. He told him his story, but when it came to Haru, there wasn't much he could say, other than that he'd apparently come from Samezuka.

"Wow, Samezuka? Really? No wonder he has so many nice things!" Makoto decided not to mention that Haruka had apparently stolen everything he owned. "But I wonder why he would leave." Nagisa seemed to remember that the quiet blue-eyed boy was right behind them this whole time, so he turned around and asked him.

Haruka slowly opened his eyes, like he would have nodded off if someone hadn't spoken to him. "To go to the sea," was all he said, as usual, and the blue scarf over his mouth concealed a yawn.

"Why do you want to go there?" Nagisa asked, oblivious that he was likely not going to get an answer. Makoto was ready to warn him of that but, surprisingly, Haruka actually replied.

"To be free." It still wasn't a proper answer, but it wasn't his usual silence on the matter. He closed his eyes again and seemed to drift back into his own little world, and Nagisa turned to Makoto questioningly.

"What does he mean by that?"

Makoto shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

True to Nagisa's word, the inn he brought them to wasn't too bad. One could hardly tell it was also a brothel. He was as exhausted as Haruka, having barely had any sleep the night before, but he managed to stay upright as he had the camel put in the stable and Nagisa pulled the right strings to get them rooms for cheap, as promised. Haruka, finally on the ground after almost the whole day on a hump, followed Makoto closely as they made their way to the room provided for them. They were told to stay away from any doors to the back right and Makoto didn't want to think about what went on in those rooms. He was too tired to consider for too long that he was spending the night in a brothel and that his mother would shame him for weeks if she knew, regardless if he used the inn for that purpose or not.

Haruka flopped face-down onto one of the two small beds as soon as Makoto let him go and the taller huffed. "You act like you were the one walking around everywhere and doing everything," he said as he, too, could not resist the urge to sit down and peel his shoes off.

Haruka's only response was a snore. He was asleep already?! The guy didn't even stop to unwrap his head! Makoto tossed his hat aside and sighed, got up begrudgingly, and started removing the scarf for him. He folded the white cloth that hid his raven locks, and it occurred to Makoto that this was the first time he'd seen his traveling companion without anything covering his head.

Haruka was, as the thieves had said, a very beautiful young man. His hair looked like it was trimmed properly, unlike Makoto's which was short and shaggy and the best his mother could do, and there were absolutely no marks on Haru's face at all. No sun bumps, no freckles, no acne, not the kind of face one would expect from a teenager wandering the desert. Makoto's skin was dry and splotchy in some areas from the sand blasting he took during the wind storm a day ago, not to mention how clumpy and unpleasant his hair was after sweating under his hat for so long. How did the other manage to look like this under the same circumstances? He touched Haruka's cheek, and sure enough, his skin was as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom, and his hair was as light and soft as it looked, too. Makoto found himself wondering, for the tenth time that day how a person like this could even exist.

Who was he, anyway? He came from Samezuka and was crossing the desert to find the sea, and for what? To be free? Why would the sea make him free? Was he on the run and planning to take a boat somewhere? Makoto really hoped not, he didn't want to get mixed up in something like that! From who would Haruka be running from? The thieves that he stole from? Maybe...

An idea hit Makoto suddenly and he looked over his sleeping companion again. Maybe Haruka was an escaped slave. Maybe the things he stole were from his master and he planned to take a boat and leave the country so that he could be free. That would explain why he was so clueless about things if he was a slave to a rich master of Samezuka and kept locked up in a household for much of his life. It also explained why Haruka didn't talk much and was so aloof. Maybe Makoto was getting involved with something far bigger than simply helping a weirdo find the sea.

He would have pondered this more if he weren't about to pass out. Cutting short the investigation of his mysterious charge, he pried the blanket out from under Haruka (who slept like a log) and placed it over him for the night before climbing into his own bed. He would sort this out tomorrow when he could think straight. For now, it was time to get some much needed sleep. The sheets weren't bad, smelling just a bit like the last person who slept here, but Makoto didn't have it in him to care. As his mind started to drift away from his body, he felt like he could hear something, like a far away whisper, and it pulled him into unconsciousness like falling into a warm embrace.

_Leave behind your heavy mind, join me where we're free..._

OOO

Makoto didn't mean to sleep until noon. It was Haruka who woke him with a shake of his shoulder, and he told the brunette that he was hungry. What was he, Haru's mother? Couldn't he take care of himself?

Apparently not. Haruka tapped his foot impatiently as Makoto forced himself out of bed and gathered what little they brought with them for the night. He refused to leave without Makoto like a child, and when they did leave, he wrapped his scarf around his head and over his nose like the day before, concealing everything but his eyes and the tips of his raven bangs falling around them.

"Why do you hide your face in public?" Makoto asked him as they went down the stairs. The question made Haruka go silent. Well, he'd already been silent, but now his silence was more deafening in the absence of a simple answer. Or maybe not so simple. The theory Makoto conjured last night came back to him and it was now on the forefront of his mind. "You know, we're going to have to talk about this before I go any further with you. How do I know you aren't secretly a convicted murderer? Am I going to find your face on a wanted poster or something?" Makoto said it jokingly but Haruka seemed to tense at the accusation.

"No."

"No what?"

"No, I did not murder anyone."

"Well _that_ sure takes a load off my mind." What it did do was strengthen Makoto's theory. He hadn't denied if he was wanted, only that he wasn't a murderer, which Makoto doubted, anyway. Haruka just didn't seem to be the murdering type. "Would you at least tell me-"

"Good afternoon, sleeping beauties!" Nagisa's loud voice interrupted as they walked into the lobby to go out the front door, and the boy walked up to them as if they were old friends. He was wearing the same kind of attire as yesterday, which still took some getting used to. At least he looked good in it. Er, good for a man, that is. "I thought you guys already left."

"Hello, Nagisa," Haruka greeted normally. A little too normally. Makoto could tell he was just happy for the distraction. "We were about to get some food. Would you like to join us?" Damn him! He didn't want to eat lunch with Nagisa, he just wanted to keep Makoto from asking him questions! Well Makoto wasn't going to give up that easily. He would find the time and place, and when he did, he would confront Haruka about this whole thing and get some real answers!

"Oh, sure! I would love to." The blond followed them out, yammering like usual, when suddenly Makoto realized something.

"Hey, Nagisa?" he got the other's attention in the middle of his list of favorite foods. "Didn't you say you were going to leave with a caravan this morning?"

Nagisa's smile fell into an irritated frown as they found their camel in the small stable and brought it out with all of their supplies still in tact, just as Nagisa had promised. "Yeah, well...turns out the caravan 'had enough water'. You can't ever have enough water! They left without me, those meanies!"

"Did they know that you are a...?"

He sighed and kicked the dirt. "Yeah...I mean, it's kind of hard not to tell, don't you think?"

"Maybe you should keep that fact private if you are trying to get something," Makoto suggested. "Try wearing more normal clothes in public."

"I guess so...but I don't really have any normal clothes and advertising myself is kind of what I rely on to bring in business. Yeah, I get treated differently for it, but it gets me more clients and more money. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't service primarily other men but hey, what are you going to do?"

"P-primarily?" Makoto gave him a surprised look. "Why?"

"Simple: men tend to have more money. Also, most women want me to come to them at their homes and they are usually married and if the husband comes back and I get caught...well...bad things happen." He left it at that. "So basically, it's easier to do business with men, and I don't have a preference myself so it all works out." It was almost like they weren't talking about prostitution the way he said it so matter-of-factly. Makoto wasn't sure if he should be disturbed or rather impressed with his honesty. That kind of honesty with the wrong people could get him in trouble, though.

"I see...and how long have you been doing this?" he couldn't help but ask. Nagisa was too well versed in these things for how old he was, in Makoto's opinion. Of course, Makoto was still a virgin at age eighteen, so he wasn't sure if it was just him.

"A few years," Nagisa answered. The group left the stable and went back on the street, and like yesterday, Haruka climbed up on its hump to ride above the crowd. "I used to be a real errand boy when I was fifteen and started doing this sort of stuff on the side to make end's meat when I turned sixteen, but then word got out and I got fired and I can make more money doing this full-time, anyway. It's sorta all I had to fall back on."

"What about your parents? Won't they help you?"

"Don't have any. I've been a street rat all my life."

"Oh...I'm sorry," Makoto apologized awkwardly for asking. That sounded like such a hard life, and yet Nagisa smiled so brightly that you wouldn't be able to tell. Despite what he did for a living, he really did deserved more respect than he got. Makoto hadn't ever met a prostitute before, but Nagisa was so much different from what he expected one to be like. He was just so...normal. Like an average kid, just from a different walk of life.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault," Nagisa waved it off. "You know, you and your master are way more understanding than a lot of other rich folks I've met. Most people take one look at me and assume I'm a hooligan. You haven't tried to shame me even once! I really appreciate that."

"Uh, you're welcome? And Haru is not my master. Didn't I already explain this?"

"Yeah, but he looks the part, doesn't he?" He turned to glance at Haruka who was quietly listening to the conversation with his usual blank look. "And you look the part when you stand next to him, Mako!"

How nice. After all of that about not judging by appearances, he was comparing Makoto to a servant. Not that he didn't feel like one sometimes. Nagisa was only teasing, though, so Makoto didn't take it personally. Teasing was what friends did with each other, and that means Nagisa thought of him as a friend. Makoto still wasn't sure exactly what he thought of Nagisa yet, but his company sure was...interesting.

* * *

**Nagisa would make a great Aladdin. Like, with Rei as the princess, and Haru as the genie, and Rin as Jafar, and Makoto as the flying carpet because everyone walks all over him. Someone write that, please.**

**Oh, and I'm still thinking of a good name for this fic. The title might change soon, but I'll give a head's up before it does. Thanks for reading~**


	4. Secrets Revealed

"You need a map?" Nagisa asked without swallowing his sweetbread first.

"Yes," Makoto answered. The group of three sat on a stone bench in a less crowded part of town that looked like it had been a garden at one point, but it was now just dry dirt and brown vines slowly flaked off the stone pillars and chipped waist high walls. It was at least secluded enough so that Haruka could come down from the camel and join them. The boy's eyes still shifted around them, though. He'd been tense since he pulled down the scarf over his nose and mouth to eat his meal and it only reinforced Makoto's desire to know what he was hiding. "We were looking for one yesterday, but we haven't had much luck. The only one we found that leads to the ocean was terribly old and...well, we weren't able to strike a deal with it's owner." He left it at that.

"Not a lot of people want to go to the sea," Nagisa said with another bite. At the rate he wolfed down his food, he'd be finished long before Makoto and Haruka. "I mean, it sounds like a nice place to live and all, but..."

Nagisa trailed off when the three started to hear a low humming sound. They all looked around, but none could tell where it was coming from. It was like...it was all around them, or something. The group of boys started to get a little concerned when the humming began to get louder and Makoto stood up just in time for the ground to start vibrating. He was about to turn around and wonder aloud if this was some kind of earthquake, but Haruka opened his mouth first.

"Oh no..."

When the brunette looked at his friend, the boy's blue eyes were wider than he'd ever seen them and pointed towards the sky. "H-Haru, what is-" Haruka didn't give him time to ask what was wrong before he bolted off the bench and started running down the street. "Wait, Haru!"

Before Makoto could follow, he felt a tug on his sleeve and Nagisa pointed at the sky. "Mako, look!" The confused brunette followed Nagisa's gaze, and at first he didn't see anything. Then, with a sudden realization, he noticed lines etched into the clear blue sky, and some flickering lights starting to appear. The humming and shaking was now loud enough to make Makoto feel like he was starting to lose his balance, and his voice came out faint no matter how loud he yelled.

"What is that?!"

"I don't know," Nagisa shouted back, "but I think Haru does!"

The two stopped staring at the fractured sky that was beginning to look a lot like a massive circle over the city and darted after Haruka, who had ducked into an alleyway and couldn't have gone far. Makoto's heart beat in his throat as he passed others taking notice, some simply staring in fear and wonder and others running for cover, and he desperately wanted to join them, but he had to find Haruka first. Why did he run away like that? What was going on? Was...was the sky falling?!

They finally found Haru on the ground in the middle of the street around the corner, and he was holding his ears with a look of pain on his face. Whatever was happening was effecting him somehow, and Makoto couldn't ignore that it was effecting him, too. But not as bad as Haruka, apparently. His limbs felt sluggish as he made his way to his friend who writhed in agony, and when he reached him, he dropped to his knees tugged on his shoulder. "Haru, Haru! Can you hear me? Haru, we have to..." It was no use. The frequency around them was drowning out his voice and Makoto couldn't even hear himself!

Whatever this was, it was bad. It was also impossible. What could possibly do something like this? What was happening?

What was happening to Haruka?!

The boy curled up on the ground was starting to look different. His skin wasn't pale anymore, it was turning blue, and there was something happening to his hair under the hood. When Makoto pulled the cloth down, he gasped to find it had turned completely white and there were two _things_ sticking out of his head. They were long and curved and twitched like...like antenna?

Makoto wanted to back away but Haruka grabbed his wrist before he could. One eye peeked open at him, looking so helpless and pained, but Makoto was too much in shock over his new appearance to try and help. The brunette tried to pull away but Haruka's grip was too strong. It hurt. Makoto grabbed Nagisa so the blond could help pry Haruka off, but he was too distracted by what was above them.

It was not the sky that was falling, it was some kind of huge shining disk that cast an eerie shadow over the entire city. Makoto hadn't ever seen anything like it, and he doubted anyone else ever had, either. It was both an awesome and terrifying sight, but mostly terrifying. Makoto wanted to run, but he didn't know where to run to. He couldn't get away from Haruka, either, and Nagisa was practically in a trance. The humming and shaking was getting worse and dust was starting to raise from the ground, getting into Makoto's eyes and half blinding him. He could feel the vibrations in his stomach, like an extra pulse that was confusing his body and fogging his mind. The last thing he saw before his vision dissolved was Haruka's terror, and Nagisa's wonder, and a bunch of little lights like fast moving fireflies zipping around the three in a circle. Everything disappeared in an indescribable display of colors and sensations...and then it all stopped.

The sudden loss of the humming and shaking felt sickening. Makoto opened his eyes, only to find he was in a completely different place now. He was kneeling on a smooth surface that glowed in several hexagons and other shapes arranged in a large circle under his feet with a flame-less light, in a little cylindrical part of a larger room with lightly glowing walls. Nagisa and Haruka were still with him in the same positions they were in on the street, but Haruka wasn't in pain anymore. He looked like he had passed out, and Nagisa was simply looking around and blinking at everything like Makoto was.

"Where...what is this...?"

They didn't realize there were other people in the room until one of them stepped forward. They wore the strangest matching clothes Makoto had ever seen, with a little symbol on their left side. The one that stepped forward was wearing a yellow shirt as apposed to most everyone else who were either blue or red, and he looked to be a middle aged man with dirty blond hair and an all-too-confident smile.

"Welcome," the man said and Makoto flinched. "We mean you no harm. That alien you are sitting next to is wanted by the Federation and we had to take him into custody before he got away again. If he had reached his escape pod by the sea, we could have lost him for good."

...Alien? Makoto looked over at Haruka, who seemed to be waking up. The odd looking boy looked around, and then swore under his breath at the sight of the man in the funny uniform. Two others in red shirts came over to pick him off the floor and carry the pissed alien away, and the thoroughly confused Makoto and Nagisa were helped to their feet.

"My name is Kirk," the yellow shirt guy introduced himself with his hands clasped behind his back. "Captain Kirk. Welcome to the Enterprise, gentlemen."

"If you guys are aliens," Nagisa said cautiously, "I'll have you know that I don't do anal for free."

* * *

**LE GASP! WHAT A TWIST! All of you guys making guesses about what Haru is were totally dead wrong. Nobody guessed that he was an alien, or that this was a Star Trek crossover, which is very disappointing. I mean, come on! It was _so_ obvious!**

**Happy April Fools, ya'll! I wrote this whole thing with that last punchline in mind. I hope you all laughed because I sure did. I laugh at my own jokes, yes. Nothing wrong with that. I will leave this up for a bit and then delete it before I post the REAL chapter 4. Sorry for the trick but I can't help myself sometimes and I haven't April Fool's pranked anyone in years. Thanks for putting up with me! For being such a food sport, I'll give you a sneak peak at the real chapter 4:**

* * *

"So, where do we have to go to get the map?" Makoto asked, bringing Nagisa down from his high faster than he expected the simple question to. He was still smiling, though, albeit slightly deflated.

"Sunrise City. You see, I know a guy there. He collects maps. All kinds of maps from all corners of the Earth. You name the place and he's got a map of it, I guarantee it."

"And do you think he would let us have the one we need?"

"Yup."

"How do you know?" Makoto didn't want to show up there just to be denied. His grandfather was a collector of pots, so he knew how attached collectors could get to their things. "If he is a collector, then wouldn't he be unable to part with it easily?"

"He will," Nagisa assured, "as long as it's me who's asking."

* * *

**Now for a pop quiz for my trekkie buddies: What kind of alien from the Star Trek universe did I make Haru? If you guess correctly, you will win exactly ONE internet and all of my love! :D Good luck~**


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